Can talk therapy tame eating disorders and blood sugar in type 1 diabetes?
NCT ID NCT05540704
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Sep 09, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether a type of talk therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help people with type 1 diabetes who also have eating disorders. Participants will be randomly assigned to ACT, supportive diabetes counseling, or a waitlist. The goal is to see if these therapies improve eating disorder symptoms, blood sugar control, and diabetes management.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Supportive Diabetes Counseling
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide an effective psychological treatment for eating disorders in type 1 diabetes, improving both mental health and blood sugar control.
- What could go wrong
- This is a relatively early-stage trial with 235 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The therapy requires time and commitment, and benefits may vary.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 235 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2023
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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16 to 50 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Primary Cohort Inclusion Criteria: * 16-50 years of age * Diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes * Eating disorder characterized by binge eating and/or problematic weight control behaviors, including withholding insulin (Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating and Purging Disorder spectrum diagnoses) * Independently manages diabetes (not reliant on a caregiver) Expansion Cohort Inclusion Criteria: * 16-50 years of age * Diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes * DEPR-R score \>=20 but does not meet criteria for the primary cohort Primary and Expansion Cohort Exclusion Criteria: * Active suicidal ideation * Diagnosis of Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder or Anorexia Nervosa spectrum diagnoses * Hypoglycemic unawareness as assessed by the Gold Method and multiple severe episodes of hypoglycemia requiring 3rd party assistance in the last 2 years * Current substance abuse disorder or current or past psychotic disorder * NonEnglish speaking
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Brown University
RECRUITINGProvidence, Rhode Island, 02903, United States
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Duke University
RECRUITINGDurham, North Carolina, 27705, United States
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